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Abstract
Nonfearful panic disorder (NFPD) is a type of panic disorder (PD) that was first described in 1987 among cardiology patients who had panic attacks without the experience of fear. NFPD may be considered a subtype of PD with significant impact on the long-term outcome of chest pain patients.
The authors sought to explore the long-term outcome of NFPD and PD.
Authors studied 199 patients previously referred to cardiology outpatient investigation because of chest pain. Assessments comprising cardiological and psychiatric (SCID-I) examinations were conducted after 9 years.
At follow-up, no patients suffered from NFPD, but 18% had panic disorder with fear (PD). There were no significant differences between the baseline NFPD (N=11) and PD (N=44) patients regarding psychiatric comorbidity, chest pain, healthcare utilization, and health-related quality of life at follow-up.
NFPD can have a significant impact on the long-term outcome of chest pain patients even though they may not seek psychiatric treatment.